Around 1:20PM EST. Disabled Cessna Caravan on the runway after landing. Didn't catch the exact details, but sounds like he tried to exit the runaway and got stuck somehow. Wiggins 132A is the aircraft. GJS 5371 was on final and was told to go around. All other aircraft told to hold position on the field. At 1:31PM EST a tug has been called to assist the aircraft.

Based on my understanding it seems that the taxiway was completely iced over and when the Wiggins Caravan turned off the runway and onto the taxiway it then weathervaned due to the 25 knot or so gust of wind and that ice-covered taxiway. Consequently the aircraft got stuck in a snowbank with the entire side (not sure what side, right or left) and wing hanging over the hold short line into the protected zone of the runway.

A few aircraft on hold above and a few on the ground waiting to go. Some of the pilots of the ground-based aircraft sound pretty cranky.

Heavy lake effect snow is forecasted to be over the airport starting later this afternoon and throughout the night, with an additional 12 inches of snow falling out of the skies. All the ground-based employees of the city who maintain snow removal as well as the employees of the FBOs are being tested this month, that's for sure.

Oh, man - incident over but one of the holding aircraft just opted to fly to Albany (about 45 minutes to the east) as an alternate. ATC peeled them off the approach and cleared them to their alternate a mere minute before the runway was reopened. When asked if they could turn around and accept an approach, the pilot declined.

Just heard that diversion as well. Sure is a shame for those folks. I saw the weather report for that snow, looks like you guys have quite a night ahead of you up there. We've got the wind and cold in BGM, but not the snow today.

I don't think they've changed- it's just building up faster than they can get rid of it or treat it. I'm 60 miles south of Syracuse so I get different weather, but Peter may be able to chime in since he lives in the area.

Man SYR airport ops is really been dropping the ball lately. They used to receive all sorts of awards for their runway snow removal operations back in the '90s. What's goin on up there?

If you are basing your comment on the previous audio clip and this incident, respectfully you may be reaching a faulty conclusion with too limited a sample set. Recall that the "audio clip" runway overrun was a result of poorly forecasted moderate freezing rain that hit the airport perhaps five minutes prior to the aircraft landing. Not really enough time for the ops to recognize and correct the icy runway.

This incident here actually happened on a lower use taxiway and occurred during moderate lake effect snow squalls. As you know, the first priority during heavy snow is to maintain the runway and the heavier use taxiways, which is exactly what has been going on all day. Over the last few hours I have heard the ops group trying to coordinate with tower for continual runway and taxiway plowing, but the influx of arriving and departing aircraft of course slows their progress. Couple that with on and off heavy snow squalls and it means the secondary, lower use taxiways (the taxiway where this Caravan spun) are going to be icy.

I was in fact basing my comment on the recent rash of incidents there, two in four days. I remember working in the harsh winters there with so much snow and ice we couldn't even push our planes off the gate without the help of thrust reversers. I still don't ever recall anyone going off the runway and certainly not two in four days. But maybe you're right PJ, I should give them the benefit of the doubt. Keeping all the surfaces in fair condition in the central NY snowbelt in the dead of winter has got to be challenging to say the least.

Peter's running his typical first class operation. I came back to the forum after news of the US Airways problem down at LGA. Personally I think KSYR has the best team running the airport, both in the terminal and on the field. Very professional! But I could be biased!

Hey, Christopher - have any inside contacts right at the airport who would be willing to host the SYR feed there if I provide all equipment and support?

I want to relocate the feed to the airport for better coverage all around, but especially to have a separate ground/clearance feed. Unfortunately I cannot receive either ground-based aircraft all that well from my current location and I have noticed that due to atmospheric conditions even tower ATC has a hard time coming in sometimes.

I approached one of the FBOs but was sent away as if I were selling Amway or some such BS....

Only if the antenna can reach 750 statute miles! Currently I'm living in IndyTower's neck of the woods. I do get back home at least once a year for a week's vacation though. We have been considering moving back to the area, you could PM me for my new email and discuss it off the forum.

Unfortunately, these days liability is always a major issue, someone is always suing someone for something. It's possible that the FBO was concerned about damage to the equipment or the building, but it's equally possible he was only using it for an easy out.

I did apply for a refueler job at one of the FBO's (SAIR, possibly?) back in the late 80's but unfortunately I didn't get the job. Back in 1985-6, I spent a year on the NYANG side as a civilian trainee - six months in the motorpool, and six months in the AGE section.

darry, my speculation is that the aircraft diverted to be able to take advantage of an extra 1,000 feet of runway. The longest runway at ROC is 8,000, whereas SYR's main runway is 9,000. Without flaps I believe that operating procedures require the aircraft's approach speed to be faster and therefore demands a longer runway. The transport pilots who are active here will hopefully confirm or correct this info.

SYR receives a fair share of diversions, including heavies, from the big three NY airports when weather down there closes the airports for arrivals.

Just to the east of SYR, though, is an old B-52 base (KRME) that is now a class D, part-time towered airport with a runway of almost 12,000 feet long. When I was working on my private pilot I would solo over to this airport (it was a class E, non-towered airport back in the early part of this decade) and practice engine-outs on takeoff. I could do 3 or 4 takeoffs/engine failures in a Cessna 172 and still have room left on the runway.

The reason transport aircraft don't divert here, I think, is that there is not a full-time air/rescue unit on the field.